


photograph

by aibari



Series: this is how it works [2]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Couch Cuddles, F/F, Missing Scene, Photographs, Reminiscing, Romance, Slice of Life, The Magnus Archives Femslash Week, lil hurt mostly comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:47:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22052014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aibari/pseuds/aibari
Summary: On the night before Melanie blinds herself, she sits with Georgie on Georgie's second-hand couch. They curl up close together and watch Russian Doll on Netflix, cutting holes in every card of a cheap, plasticky deck Melanie picked up at Tesco on the way home.“That's what it feels like,” Melanie says, watching Natasha Lyonne die over and over on-screen. She gestures at the TV. “Working at the Institute. It's all dying every day but you keep doing it wrong and having to do it again.”Melanie and Georgie watch Netflix, and then look at some photographs.For day four of the Magnus Archives Femslash Week 2019.5: Missing Scene.
Relationships: Georgie Barker/Melanie King
Series: this is how it works [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1586131
Comments: 11
Kudos: 58
Collections: The Magnus Archives Femslash Week 2019.5





	photograph

On the night before Melanie blinds herself, she sits with Georgie on Georgie's second-hand couch. They curl up close together and watch  _Russian Doll_ on Netflix, cutting holes in every card of a cheap, plasticky deck Melanie picked up at Tesco on the way home.

“That's what it feels like,” Melanie says, watching Natasha Lyonne die over and over on-screen. She gestures at the TV. “Working at the Institute. It's all dying every day but you keep doing it wrong and having to do it again.”

“At least Jon is cuter than this guy,” Georgie says, nodding at Charlie Barnett.

Melanie makes a face. “ _Seriously_ ?”

“Pulled off eyeliner real well, did Jon.”

“Oh my _God_ , that's my _boss_ you're talking about.”

Georgie laughs at her, loud and terrible and delighted. “I think I have the photos around somewhere, if you want to see.”

“Yes, _please_ ,” Melanie says. Georgie grins at her and gets up to fish out a box of photos. The lid says _**UNI**_ in large, slanted letters.

“Okay, I don't have a lot,” Georgie says. “Got rid of most of them when we broke up.”

“And by “got rid of”, you mean...?”

“I burned them in the kitchen sink of my student flat and set off the fire alarm.”

Melanie cackles.

“Shut _up_ ,” Georgie says, but she's grinning, too. “It was a really shitty breakup. I was so angry I didn't know what to do with myself, and then I was standing there under the sprinklers like an idiot, staring at the ashes of the time we'd spent together, and thought _this will be history to look back on in the future_. And then I burst into tears, real ugly ones, a proper, screaming baby wail, and sobbed until the firemen came.”

Melanie rubs her arm sympathetically, kisses her cheek.

“Well, baby,” she says. “That future is here.”

Georgie wrinkles her nose.

“No?” Melanie says, leans in close so their noses touch. “How about babe? Sweetheart? _Honey-lemon pie?_ ”

“I'll give you _babe_ ,” Georgie says, “Because I'm generous, sweetie.”

Melanie shudders. “Can I opt for  _babe_ as well?”

“Guess you've just got to own it first,” Georgie says, and opens the box. It's less than half-full, and it's not a big box, but every photo shows Georgie with someone else, smiling brightly like a star. In the pictures, she is skinnier and somehow a bit unfinished. Her clothes try harder, practically screaming _I don't care_ and _I know what I'm talking about._ Still, her smile is the same, and so is her hair, dark and curly and pulled back.

“You were really cute, you know,” Melanie says.

“Hey, we're not here to look at pictures of _me,_ ” Georgie says.

“No,” Melanie says. “But I want to – ”

“What?”

Melanie glances up at her, feeling suddenly weirdly shy. “... I want to know you. I want to see what you were like.”

Georgie smiles, a bit sad, a bit wistful. “It's not like … I mean, I'm not really that person anymore.”

“I wouldn't want you to be,” Melanie says. She looks at the photos again, at Georgie smiling and laughing and talking, always lighting up the room. “But I'm glad you showed me these anyway. It's … nice. Seeing where you've come from. Seeing how you've grown into yourself, you know?”

“Well, now I feel bad I didn't bring my baby pictures,” Georgie mutters, suppressing a grin. “Anyway, this wasn't supposed to be about me. I was going to show you Jon's artfully smudged eyeliner. And his wonderful leather trousers.”

“Oh my God,” Melanie says. “That is a weird string of words you just said.”

“And yet, they were both a near permanent feature for at least the first half of our relationship.”

“ _Nooooo_.” Melanie pushes her face into Georgie's shoulder. “He's my _bosssss_ and I'm too gay for this, Georgie, I literally just want the pictures for bullying material.”

“That seems like bad work-place etiquette,” Georgie says, mock-serious.

“Well, it's a good thing I'm quitting, isn't it?”

Georgie's arms come up and pull her closer.

“Yeah,” she says, warm. “I'm proud of you, Melanie.”

“Yeah,” Melanie murmurs into Georgie's sweater. It's soft against her face. “I'm proud of me too.”

They sit like that for a while, holding on to each other. In the background, Natasha Lyonne and Charlie Barnett are dying together.

“It can be about you, you know,” Melanie says, later.

Georgie blinks at her, sleepy and confused. “What?”

“This,” Melanie says, half-gesturing to the box on the table. “It can be about you.”

“Oh,” Georgie says, and her face does something complicated and beautiful. “Yeah. I guess it … yeah.”

“Yeah,” Melanie says. She swallows. “Georgie, I ...”

“What's wrong?”

“You're really good, you know?” Melanie says. “You're just. I feel like my stuff is taking up so much space here, and you're good at boundaries, but I need to know that you'll … you're allowed to need help, too. I mean, I'm not saying you need help, but … if you _do_ need help, I'm here. Even, even if I'm on some eldritch fear god's shit list, or, or whatever else. I'm here for you too.”

Georgie hugs her tighter and laughs. It sounds a little wet.

“Yeah,” she says. “I know. I'm, I'll work on it, but. I know.”

“Yeah,” Melanie says, and, “I love you.” She sighs. “Bed? Got a big day coming up tomorrow.”

“Love you too,” Georgie says, and kisses the top of her head. “Let's get some sleep.”

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. I haven't actually seen Russian Doll yet but as far as I can tell that's the plot lmao  
> 2\. You can find me on [tumblr](https://aibari.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/aibari)!


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